


Worth

by Kariki



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Daddy Issues, Drug Withdrawal, Extremely affectionate cats that only want to be held, Gavin is a foul mouth, Gavin is an asshole, M/M, Referenced Drug Use, and says fuck a lot, fuck buddies, rarepair hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 16:36:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15392910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kariki/pseuds/Kariki
Summary: Leo turns up at Gavin's door, looking for a place to stay. Gavin is an asshole but not as much of an asshole as he could be.





	Worth

Gavin Reed was an asshole. 

He was an asshole but he _knew_ he was an asshole. He drank fairly regularly but still took the piss out of Anderson for his problem. He had more fuck buddies than friends. He named his cat Fleabag. He’s had to go through sensitivity training five times, three of which since the whole ‘androids are people now’ bullshit started.

He had no delusions about himself. He knew what he was and he was perfectly happy with his asshole nature.

Which was why, when one of his latest fuck buddies showed up at his apartment unannounced, looking like death warmed over, he tried to shut the door in his face.

The brat was quicker.

“Wait!” Leo Manfred reached up, grabbing the door to keep it from closing on his foot further.

The kid looked awful. He was sweating, his clothes wrinkled, his usual sad puppy eyes were glassy, and he could see and feel him shaking hard enough to rattle the door.

With a scowl, Gavin opened the door a bit wider to see the other man better.

“Thought you were getting clean,” he spat, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame to effectively block him from entering his apartment. You could never be too careful.

“I’m not on anything,” Leo shook his head, pulling his hands away from the door to wrap his arms around himself, trying to stop the shaking in his hands by tucking them under his arms. He smiled weakly. “That... that’s kind of the problem.”

Gavin narrowed his eyes. 

He had met the younger man at a bar a few weeks ago. The guy had ordered fucking water in a bar. Who the fuck does that? Gavin had started to give him shit over it only to have the brat tell him he wasn’t looking to get drunk, just laid. He only found out after their third hookup that Leo was a recovering Red Ice addict – sober for two, almost three, months – and a fucking rich kid with daddy issues to boot because of course he was. 

Thing is: Red Ice is a fucking horrible drug to try and get clean from. The detox itself can last a month and withdrawal could last up to a year with cravings rearing their ugly head for years after. It was brutal.

“The fuck are you doing here?” Gavin asked. “I’m not in the mood for a fuck tonight.”

“Neither am I,” Leo said, licking his dry lips. His brown eyes flickered up to Gavin’s then away, then anywhere they could find. “I... I just... I needed somewhere to go...”

Gavin groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. 

“Look, I don’t want to babysit an addict tonight,” he snapped. “Why didn’t you go to daddy dearest? Let him guilt trip you into keeping your nose clean.”

“No!” Leo was already shaking his head. “I can’t... I’ve been doing so good for months now, I can’t...” he trailed off and... fuck, those were tears in his fucking eyes. Fucking fuck! “I don’t want to disappoint him, Gav. I... The cravings hit this morning and I’ve been trying... I don’t know how much longer I can hold out...”

Gavin stared at him as he trailed off.

“Why,” Gavin said slowly, “Are. You. _Here_.”

Leo pressed his lips together and, with a great show of force, held his head up and stared Gavin in the eye.

“Because you’re an asshole,” he started, the tremble in his voice barely audible. “And I think you wouldn’t care if I begged or cried or whatever else I would do for a fix. I think you’d lock me in the bathroom, screaming my throat raw, until I came to my senses... I... I need that right now.”

Gavin didn’t say anything for a moment. As the seconds ticked by, Leo’s resolve started to visibly crumble.

Fuck...

“Fine,” Gavin growled, taking a step back to give the other man room to enter. “Just for tonight though. I don’t want people thinking I take in random druggies.”

Leo sagged in relief and took a step in.

Gavin’s apartment wasn’t the most glamorous of accommodations, even for a detective. He preferred to live cheap and save his money for things he actually needed. The apartment was a bit on the small side with only one bedroom but it had a separate kitchen and it was big enough for one man and his scrawny cat.

Leo sat down on the couch, sinking into the cushions, and closed his eyes. “Thanks,” he said.

“Whatever,” Gavin grumbled, flopping down beside him. There was only the one couch and no chairs. He didn’t like company that much.

There was a croaking meow as Fleabag poked his head out of the cardboard box that was his bed. He jumped up onto the coffee table, knocking over an empty beer bottle in the process, and stared at the two humans in front of him.

“Hey, Flea,” Leo said softly, reaching out a hand. That was all the incentive the cat needed to jump over and land in his lap.

“Don’t pet my fucking cat,” Gavin groused but did nothing as Fleabag butted his head repeatedly against any part of Leo he could get to. He was being ignored. Fucking gratitude for you. It’s what he got for taking in fucking strays.

“The fuck set you off anyway?” he asked, reaching forward to grab his half-finished beer off the table.

Leo didn’t say anything for a moment. He was focused on the straggly tabby in his lap, his brown eyes unfocused as he pet him. If the cat noticed the shaking hands, he didn’t seem to mind it.

“I just... remembered,” he finally said. “Dad’s house can get a bit crowded – he’s been taking Markus’s friends in – and I just... got reminded of how... well, I’m never going to be a talented painter or artist of any kind.”

“Dad’s riding your ass?” Gavin asked, taking a sip of beer. He knew better than to ask Leo if he wanted one. 

“No,” he shook his head. “He says he doesn’t care but... it’s just hard for me to believe that. It reminded me of how I used to feel as a kid, you know?” He glanced over at Gavin. “Just a fuck up with a paycheck dad.”

“Yeah, you and a million other kids,” Gavin snorted, “though most don’t get the paycheck part.”

“Yeah,” Leo agreed softly, his hands running over Fleabag’s back to the cat’s joy. At least someone was enjoying themselves. “But all that shit, it just went away,” he continued after a moment. “All the bad stuff was just far away... I started when I was fifteen.”

“You were a dumbass,” Gavin said before taking another drink. “All fifteen year olds are but the druggie ones especially.”

“Yeah,” Leo said, no heat in his voice. 

Gavin frowned, annoyed as a feeling of mild shame peeked its head in to further ruin his night. He had read Leo’s police record after their first fuck. The guy had a temper, even before going on Red Ice, and had a habit of writing checks his ass couldn’t cash.

At least if Leo started a fight instead of moping, he’d have an excuse to kick him out.

“Lay off with the puppy eyes,” Gavin growled. He downed the last few gulps of his beer and set the empty bottle down with a slam. “I fucking hate emo kids. I like you better when you have a backbone.”

Leo looked up and, to Gavin’s relief, a hint of anger was hardening his eyes. Fucker wanted an asshole to take care of him? This was what he was going to get.

“If I’m going to have to listen to you whine about your daddy issues for free, I’m going to get another fucking beer,” he said, moving to get up. 

He didn’t bother hiding his smirk as he felt a hand grab his arm, pulling him back down. He heard Fleabag meow in displeasure as he was moved out of the way. Hands pushed his shoulders back against the couch and Leo’s weight settled over him as the younger man straddled him.

“Told you earlier I wasn’t in the mood to fuck,” Gavin said, his hands reaching up to hold onto the other man’s hips. 

“You’re such a fucking asshole,” Leo said back, shaking his head before darting forward, pressing his lips hard against Gavin’s.

The kiss was almost painful, trapping their lips between their teeth. Leo’s hands moved from his shoulders to curl in his hair, pulling at the strands like he was trying to punish Gavin for his remarks.

That was more fucking like it.

Gavin moved his hands from Leo’s hips to his ass and dug his fingers into the soft skin, digging his nails in as he pulled the younger man closer until their bodies were flush against each other. He rolled his hips up, grinding his growing erection against him as he bit into the kiss, tugging at Leo’s lower lip.

Leo whimpered into his mouth, his body trembling...

Gavin pulled away, sucking in a breath, his brow furrowing. He looked up at Leo, taking in the reddened lips, the sweat on his brow, the glassy look in his eyes, and the shaking he could feel under his hands. It wasn’t arousal making him look like that...

God- _Fucking_ -Damn it!

“Son of a bitch!” He shoved Leo off of him, back onto the couch beside him, and scooted to the edge of the couch. He dug his hands through his hair and willed his erection back down. “I don’t fuck whores, brat!”

He felt the couch shift as Leo sat up. He risked a glance to see the other man looking at him, a clear expression of hurt and shame on his face.

“... I wanted to make putting up with me worth it,” he said after a moment.

Gavin rolled his eyes. “I’m an asshole but I’m not that much of an asshole,” he growled. He had the blue balls to prove that. “Look, just... go take a shower or something,” he said, pointing toward the bedroom that had an attached bath. “You’re sweating like a fucking pig.”

Leo didn’t move right away. He reached up to touch his lips, still red and wet from the kiss.

“Sorry,” he said, lowering his gaze. “I got carried away...”

Gavin took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly.

“Whatever,” he said, waving a hand to shoo him off. “Just... go take a shower. I’ll order pizza or something.”

Leo nodded and slowly stood. He started around the coffee table but stopped and turned back to Gavin.

“Thank you,” he said, his arms wrapping around himself once again. “You didn’t have to let me stay so... thanks.”

“Whatever,” Gavin said again, running a hand over his face, closing his eyes. “Just... you can owe me one or something.”

“Okay.”

Gavin felt his hair ruffle and a pair of lips on his forehead. He opened his eyes to see Leo walking away.

Fucking hell. 

Fleabag, seeing his chance, jumped up into Gavin’s lap and dug his claws in, ready to cling to his new perch for as long as possible. When his owner didn’t remove him, the cat curled up, purring happily. Gavin listened to the water in the bathroom being turned on, quickly followed by the sound of someone moving under the spray, before he reached for the phone.

He didn’t know the number off the top of his head but it didn’t take too long to find the right place. 

“Manfred residence,” a man answered. He didn’t sound particularly old to Gavin so, he guessed, this was the ‘Markus’ he had heard about – Leo’s adopted brother or some shit.

“Yeah, I got your dumbass kid over here,” he said, leaning back into the couch cushions. “He’s have an episode and instead of going home, he’s hiding out at my place. Like a dumbass.” He felt he should really emphasis the dumbass part. “Come get him before I toss his ass out.”

There was silence on the line for a moment before, “... I’ll come and get him. Thank you.”

Gavin gave him the address and hung up the phone. 

“Fuck,” Gavin hissed under his breath, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes until he saw spots. “What a fucking night.”

In the end, this was for the brat’s own good. 

“You’re a fucking asshole.”

Gavin lifted his hands to see Leo, still dripping wet, standing in the doorway in nothing but his jeans. He hadn’t heard the water turn off.

Just fucking great.

“You’ll thank me for it later,” he scoffed, folding his arms over his chest, ignoring the cat in his lap. “If your dad is worth a damn, he won’t care if you’re jonesing as long as you stay on the wagon.”

Leo shook his head, sending water drops everywhere. “No, that’s not... I don’t want him to know!”

“He already knows!” Gavin threw up his hands in frustration. “Everyone with two brain cells to rub together knows that Red Ice is fucking hard to get off of, that it comes with killer cravings and all that bullshit!”

“I don’t want him to know!” Leo yelled back, actually stomping like a child having a tantrum. “I was doing fucking great and now he’ll see that I’m still a fucking – ” He cut himself off before he could say more. There were angry tears in his eyes. He shook his head and turned back to the bathroom. “I’m fucking leaving...”

“You’ll sit your ass on that couch until you get a ride,” Gavin called after him. When he didn’t get a reply, he pushed Fleabag off his lap, getting a growl for his troubles, and stormed over to the bedroom. The younger man was pulling on his t-shirt, uncaring if he got it wet or not. Gavin grabbed him by the arm and pushed him onto the bed. “Sit your fucking ass down.”

“Fuck you!” Leo stood up only to be pushed back down.

“Fuck your dad!” Gavin screamed at him, crossing his arms and staring down at Leo. “If he’s disappointed over this fucking bullshit then fucking fuck him! He’s not worth your goddamn time, your health, or being part of your life. He was a fucking horrible father – I fucking get it – but dwelling on it only hurts you.

“If your dad comes through that door,” he pointed back toward the other room. “And acts like an entitled ass, I’ll throw his ass out, wheelchair or fucking not. If he’s trying half as hard as you told me he was, he’ll be worried as fucking shit about you and not give a damn about anything fucking else.”

Leo stared at the floor, his lips a thin, hard line, with tears dripping down his face, seemingly against his will.

Gavin huffed, his anger spent for the moment. He took a step forward and put a hand on the younger man’s head, ruffling his wet hair.

“Worry about yourself right now,” he said as Leo’s shoulders started to shake. “You’re worth more than this shit.”

After a few seconds, Leo nodded. Still shaking, he pressed his face into Gavin’s stomach, his arms reaching up to hug him close.

Gavin froze for a moment before letting it happen. He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, Gavin awkwardly holding Leo as he cried into his shirt. Eventually Fleabag found his way into the bedroom and curled up on the bed beside them, oblivious to the situation at hand but happy to be near.

Finally, there was a knock on the door and Leo pulled away, wiping at his eyes.

“Well,” Gavin said, voice a bit sore from yelling, “let’s go see if your family is worth a damn.”

**Author's Note:**

> Aftermath is covered in Chapter three of ['Flowers Bloom in the Scars Left Behind](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15759306/chapters/36653991)


End file.
